applying for my 1st credit card

[doctor2be]

can someone help me???? my TU score is 677 and EQ is 669 and the only installment loan that I have is 3800 school loan-----does anyone know if i will be rejected by an unsecured credit card or should i go for secured

[Chopbrocoli]

Who do you bank with? Usually they will be glad to start you out with an unsecured student CC without any hassle. So I would definitely try your bank 1st. You may also want to try looking into products offered by credit unions.

[_mkb]

My first CC was with Citi back in 2005 (their college card - I was a freshman). I have no idea what my score was back then, but I imagine much lower than yours is now - I had a baddie on my CR that I wasn't aware of until within the last year (since removed because it was a med account from when I was 15) and a few student loans (recent, too - my approval was in November and I'd just started school in August), but nothing else. They gave me $1500 back then and a $300 CLI a few months later. I know the market is much different now, but they still give out regular CLIs, so they may still be a good bet.

You can also try some of the preapproval sites - they're soft pulls and might give you an idea of who will approve you if you actually applied. 

[haulingthescoreup]

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doctor2be wrote:
can someone help me???? my TU score is 677 and EQ is 669 and the only installment loan that I have is 3800 school loan-----does anyone know if i will be rejected by an unsecured credit card or should i go for secured

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I'm looking at your screen name --are you pre-med? already in med school? Have you taken the MCAT's yet?

I ask because my daughter was flooded with offers after she took her MCAT's.

If you're still in college, is your school associated with a credit union that offers CC's? If so, I'd get in with them first and avoid the hassle that the big banks are putting people through these days.

[creditwherecreditisdue]

Are you a student in professional school (Business, Law, Medical)? If so check with your student affairs office and see if your school/program is affilliated with the Professional Services program at a financial institution. That was my toehold into the credit world many years ago when I was in business school and it was an excellent program. (Too bad I blew it later on.)

[Anonymous]

I'd suggest you try to apply for prime student CC - Citi Forward and Discover More (student version).